Hose clamping device

ABSTRACT

A universal hose clamp includes a universal hose locating mechanism, a hose coupling for connecting a hose to the hose clamp, and securing structure for securing the locating mechanism to a support structure. The universal hose clamp may be employed to secure a hose to an existing support structure or to a portable independent frame. The universal hose clamp is designed to be adaptable for use with a range of hose diameters and as such the universal hose clamp can be employed in a wide range of emergency situations. When deployed the universal hose clamp enables rotating the hose coupling in any direction and thereafter the hose coupling can be locked in that position. Therefore, with the aid of the universal hose clamp only one operator is required to control a hose device in an emergency situation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a device for securing hoses,particularly those used by fire fighters.

2. The Relevant Technology

When fighting a fire there are a number of problems to be addressed inaddition to extinguishing the fire, for example rescuing those who aretrapped or crowd control. As a result the available human resources needto be carefully targeted to limit/prevent the occurrence of injury.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention recognises that as part of fire-fighting the useand control of a hose is an onerous task requiring the efforts ofseveral people. The present invention attempts to mitigate this problemand allow for better targeting of available resources.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device whereby ahose can be clamped to a support thus allowing fire fighters to bereleased from such duties and available for other tasks, for examplerescuing those who are trapped.

It is a further object that such a device will be simple to use andreadily adapted to the dimensions of different hoses.

According to the present invention there is provided a universal hoseclamp comprising a universal hose locating mechanism, a hose couplingfor connecting a hose to the hose clamp, and a securing means forsecuring said locating mechanism to a support structure.

Preferably the support structure is an existing railing, pole or othersimilar structure.

Preferably the securing means is a universal base clamping mechanismadapted for clamping onto the support structure.

Alternatively the support structure is a portable independent frame.

More preferably the portable independent frame is a tripod.

Preferably in this second embodiment the securing means is a lockingmechanism adapted to lockably engage the hose locating mechanism to thesupport structure, wherein the locking mechanism comprises a male andfemale member that are adapted to lockably engage.

Preferably the hose locating mechanism comprises a central mount, twoazimuth locking mechanisms and a quick release hose mount.

More preferably the azimuth locking mechanism contained on the locatingmechanism comprises a handle assembly, a connection means and a stabpin.

Preferably the azimuth locking mechanism contained on the locatingmechanism moves between an unlocked position when the handle assembly isin a plane parallel to the stab pin, and a locked position when thehandle assembly is rotated through 90 degrees to lie in a planeperpendicular to the stab pin.

Preferably the first azimuth locking mechanism contained on the locatingmechanism provides a means for rotating the hose coupling about an axisin the horizontal plane.

Preferably the second azimuth locking mechanism contained on thelocating mechanism provides a means for rotating the hose coupling aboutan axis in the vertical plane.

Preferably the hose coupling comprising a gripping aid, a mounting bandand a securing means.

Preferably the gripping aid is cylindrical in shape.

More preferably the gripping aid is made of a flexible material, namelyrubber.

Preferably the mounting band is cylindrical in shape.

Preferably the securing means is a screw thread mechanism

Preferably the attachment means for the hose coupling to the universalhose clamp is easily detachable.

More preferably the attachment means is by way of an azimuth lockingmechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to provide a better understanding of the invention embodimentswill now be described by way of example only with reference to theaccompanying Figures in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a universal hose clamp for locking and securing ahose;

FIG. 2 illustrates a component of the universal hose clamp, namely auniversal hose locating mechanism, with two azimuth locking mechanismsshown in a locked position.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate separate perspective views of a furthercomponent of the universal hose clamp, namely a universal base clampingmechanism shown clamped to a Y-shaped handrail;

FIG. 5 illustrates the universal hose clamp of FIG. 1, with one of theuniversal azimuth locking mechanisms for controlling the hose clamprotation about the vertical axis in the unlocked position; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a tripod on which the universal hose clamp of FIG. 1can be mounted;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a universal hose clamp is generallydepicted at 1 comprising a universal hose locating mechanism 2, auniversal base clamping mechanism 3 and a hose coupling 4.

The hose ccoupling 4 comprises a cylindrical gripping aid 5, acylindrical mounting band 6 and a screw thread mechanism 7.

FIG. 2 illustrates further detail of the universal hose locatingmechanism 2 in the absence of the base claming mechanism 3 and the hosecoupling 4. The hose locating mechanism 2 comprises a central mount 8,two azimuth locking mechanisms 9 and 10 and a quick release hose mount11.

The two azimuth locking mechanisms 9 and 10 further comprise a handleassembly 12, a connection means 13 and a stab pin 14 or 15. Theconnection means 13 provides the activation mechanism for moving theazimuth locking mechanisms 9 and 10 between their unlocked and lockedpositions. In FIG. 2 both locking mechanisms 9 and 10 are in theirlocked positions. When unlocked the first azimuth locking mechanism 9allows rotation of the hose mount 11, and hence the hose coupling 4,about a horizontal axis while the second azimuth locking mechanism 10,when unlocked, allows rotation about a vertical axis. It should be notedat this point that these two mechanisms lock independently of each othersuch that one may be in the locked position while the other is in theunlocked position. The stab pins 14 and 15 provide male members for theazimuth locking mechanisms 9 and 10, respectively.

FIGS. 3 and 4 present further detail of the universal base clampingmechanism 3 in the absence of the hose locating mechanism 2. The baseclamping mechanism 3 comprises a central frame 16, a rail clamp 17 and afemale 18 for the azimuth locking mechanism 10. The rail clamp 17further comprises a swing over lock 19, a rail clamp tightening assembly20, and two threaded locating rails 21.

The combination of the hose locating mechanism 2 and the base clampingmechanism 3 is achieved by inserting the stab pin 15 in the femalelocking component 18 with the handle assembly 12 in the unlockedposition, as in FIG. 5. This unlocked position corresponds to the casewhen the handle assembly 12 is in a plane parallel to the stab pin 15.The locked position is achieved by rotating the handle assembly 12through 90 degrees such that the handle assembly 12 now lies in theplane perpendicular to the stab pin 15, as in FIG. 1.

To employ the universal hose clamp 1, the base clamping mechanism 3 isattached to a railing, pole or other similarly reinforced structure. Asshown in FIG. 1, the desired structure to which the hose clamp 1 can beattached may take the form of a Y-shaped rail 22. Initially the swingover lock 19 is opened by unscrewing one of the threaded locating rails21. This allows the rail clamp 17 to be placed in situ around the handrail 22. With the hand rail 22 in place above the threaded locatingrails 21, the swing over lock 19 is then closed and fastened. The baseclamping mechanism 3 is then secured in place by tightening of the railclamp 17 by use of the rail clamp tightening assembly 20.

The second stage is to attach the hose locating mechanism 2 to the baseclamping mechanism 3 via the vertical azimuth locking mechanism 10 asdescribed above. Thereafter the hose (not shown) is inserted within thecylindrical hose gripping aid 5 which is then tightened in thecylindrical mounting band 6 that is attached to the quick release hosemount 11. The tightening of the cylindrical hose gripping aid 5 in thecylindrical mounting band 6 is achieved via the screw thread mechanism7. With the horizontal azimuth locking mechanism 9 in the unlockedposition the hose coupling 4 is mounted on the horizontal stab pin 14.

At this stage the hose is secured within the hose clamp 1 and can bedeployed at full pressure by just one person. This has the obviousadvantage of releasing manpower to carry out other important duties. Bysimply unlocking either of azimuth locking mechanisms, 9 and 10, thehose can be rotated to provide universal cover over 4π steradians.

Mobility for the hose coupling 4 may be enhanced by its incorporationwith a tripod system 23, as illustrated in FIG. 6. This tripod 23comprises a female member 24 for use in an azimuth locking mechanism 10,adjustable legs 25 and a cross brace 26 to provide additional strength.It should be noted that the aforementioned female 24 is of a similardesign to the female member 18 used in the previously describedembodiment. Therefore, there is no requirement for the modification ofthe hose locating mechanism 2. With this embodiment the tripod isassembled at the required location. The hose (not shown) is then mountedin the hose locating mechanism 2 as previously described. The verticalstab pin 15 is then inserted in the female of the tripod 18 and lockedas required by the vertical azimuth locking mechanism 10.

The use of alternative hose diameters is determined by the nature of theemergency. Thus the hose coupling 4 is not limited to use with oneparticular hose size. Selection of a hose can be accommodated within aparticular cylindrical gripping aid 5 by the adjustment of the screwthread mechanism 7. If the hose diameter is significantly different thenthe quick release hose mount 11 allows a second hose clamp 4 of thedesired dimensions to be quickly mounted on the hose locating mechanism2.

An advantage of the present invention is that there is provided auniversal hose clamp which can be used with known types of hose andwhose parts are readily interchanged to meet the requirements ofdifferent emergency situations.

A further advantage of the present invention is that there is providedmeans which will reduce the manpower required to control a hose, andincrease the numbers available to help those who are part of theemergency situation.

A further advantage of the invention is that the individual securingmeans are able to rotate such that the hose can be used in any directionthus allowing the changing needs of an emergency situation to be met.

In an alternative embodiment the clamp may be provided with means toenable control from a remote source. For example an electronic receiverand control electronics could be mounted within the central mount 8 ofthe universal hose locating mechanism 2. This would allow the directionof the hose coupling 4 to be altered without the requirement for directhuman contact.

Further modifications and improvements may be added without departingfrom the scope of the invention herein intended.

1. A universal hose clamp comprising: a universal hose locatingmechanism; a hose mount linked to the universal hose locating mechanismthrough a mounting pin to provide free rotational movement of the hosemount about the longitudinal axis of the mounting pin to control thepitch of the hose mount; a first locking mechanism linked to the hosemount by the mounting pin, the first locking mechanism being movablebetween an unlocked position and a locked position to control rotationalmovement of the hose mount, the first locking mechanism comprising ahandle assembly linked to the mounting pin, the handle assemblyconfigured to rotate relative to the mounting pin to move the firstlocking mechanism between the unlocked and locked positions; a securingmeans for securing the universal hose locating mechanism to a supportstructure; and a hose coupling coupled to the hose mount, the hosecoupling being adapted to connect a hose to the universal hose locatingmechanism, such that with the first locking mechanism in the unlockedposition, the hose coupling has unlimited rotational movement about thelongitudinal axis of the mount pin, wherein the universal hose locatingmechanism further comprises a second locking mechanism linked to thehose mount, the second locking mechanism being movable between anunlocked and a locked position, the second locking mechanism comprisinga second handle assembly and a swivel pin, wherein the swivel pin has alongitudinal axis that is substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the mounting pin, wherein the second handleassembly is rotatable relative to the swivel pin to move the secondlocking mechanism between the unlocked and locked positions such thatwith the second locking mechanism in the unlocked position, the hosecoupling has unlimited rotational movement about the longitudinal axisof the swivel pin.
 2. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 1,wherein the securing means comprises a female member adapted to receivean end of the swivel pin therein and a base clamping mechanism linked tothe female member, the base clamping mechanism being suitable forclamping the universal hose clamp to a support structure such as arailing or pole.
 3. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 1,wherein the securing means comprises a female member provided upon aportable independent frame, the female member being adapted to receivean end of the swivel pin therein to permit the securing means to berotatable upon the portable independent frame.
 4. A universal hose clampas claimed in claim 3, wherein the portable independent frame is atripod.
 5. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 1, wherein thehose mount comprises a quick release having a female member adapted forreceiving at least a portion of the mounting pin therein, wherein thehose mount is removable from the universal hose locating mechanism whenthe first locking mechanism is in the unlocked position.
 6. A universalhose clamp as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the second lockingmechanism is in the locked position the female member lockably engageswith the swivel pin.
 7. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 3,wherein when the second locking mechanism is in the locked position thefemale member lockably engages with the swivel pin.
 8. A universal hoseclamp as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the first locking mechanism isin the locked position the female member lockably engages with themounting pin.
 9. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 1, whereinthe hose coupling further comprises a gripping aid, a mounting bandcoupled to the gripping aid and a hose securing means for securing ahose to the hose coupling, the hose securing means being coupled to themounting band.
 10. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe gripping aid is made of a flexible material comprising rubber.
 11. Auniversal hose clamp as claimed in claim 9, wherein the gripping aid iscylindrical in shape.
 12. A universal hose clamp as claimed in claim 9,wherein the mounting band is cylindrical in shape.
 13. A universal hoseclamp as claimed in claim 9, wherein the hose securing means is a screwthread mechanism.
 14. A universal hose clamp comprising: a universalhose locating mechanism; a first locking mechanism linked to theuniversal hose locating mechanism, the first locking mechanism beingmovable between a locked and an unlocked position, the first lockingmechanism comprising a handle assembly and a pin having a first axis,wherein the handle assembly rotates relative to the pin in a plane ofthe pin to move the first locking mechanism between the locked andunlocked positions; a securing means for securing the universal hoselocating mechanism to a support structure; a hose coupling adapted toconnect a hose to the universal hose locating mechanism, wherein thehose coupling is linked to the universal hose locating mechanism, suchthat the hose coupling has unlimited rotational movement about the firstaxis when the hose is coupled to the hose coupling and the first lockingmechanism is in the unlocked position, wherein the hose couplingcomprises a female member suitable for receiving the pin therein so asto allow the hose coupling to be removed from the universal hoselocating mechanism when the first locking mechanism is in the unlockedposition; a second locking mechanism linked to the hose coupling, thesecond locking mechanism being movable between a locked and an unlockedposition such that with the hose coupled to the hose coupling and thesecond locking mechanism in the unlocked position, the hose coupling hasunlimited rotational movement about a second axis that is substantiallyperpendicular to the first axis, wherein the second locking mechanismcomprises a second handle assembly and a connection means for connectingthe second locking mechanism to a second pin; wherein the first lockingmechanism is in the unlocked position when the first handle assembly issubstantially parallel to the first pin, and the locked position whenthe first handle assembly is rotated to lie substantially perpendicularto the first pin, and wherein second locking mechanism is in theunlocked positions when the second handle assembly is substantiallyparallel to the second pin, and the locked position when the secondhandle assembly is rotated to lie substantially perpendicular to thesecond pin.
 15. A universal hose clamp comprising: a universal hoselocating mechanism; a hose mount linked to the universal hose locatingmechanism through a mounting pin to provide free rotational movement ofthe hose mount about the longitudinal axis of the mounting pin; a firstlocking mechanism linked to the universal hose locating mechanism andthe hose mount, the first locking mechanism being movable between anunlocked position and a locked position to control rotational movementof the hose mount, the first locking mechanism comprising a handleassembly configured to rotate relative to the mounting pin to move thefirst locking mechanism between the unlocked and locked positions; asecuring means for securing the universal hose locating mechanism to asupport structure; and a hose coupling coupled to the hose mount, thehose coupling being adapted to connect a hose to the universal hoselocating mechanism, such that with the first locking mechanism in theunlocked position, the hose coupling has unlimited rotational movementabout the longitudinal axis of the mount pin; and a second lockingmechanism linked to the universal hose locating mechanism and the hosemount, the second locking mechanism being movable between an unlockedposition and a locked position, the second locking mechanism comprisinga second handle assembly and a swivel pin linked thereto, wherein theswivel pin has a longitudinal axis that is substantially perpendicularto the longitudinal axis of the mounting pin, wherein the second handleassembly is rotatable relative to the swivel pin to move the secondlocking mechanism between the unlocked and locked positions, such thatwith the second locking mechanism in the unlocked position, the hosecoupling has unlimited rotational movement about the longitudinal axisof the swivel pin.
 16. A universal hose clamp comprising: a universalhose locating mechanism; a first locking mechanism linked to theuniversal hose locating mechanism, the first locking mechanism beingmovable between a locked and an unlocked position, the first lockingmechanism comprising a handle assembly and a pin having a first axis,wherein the handle assembly rotates relative to the pin in a plane ofthe pin to move the first locking mechanism between the locked andunlocked positions; a securing means for securing the universal hoselocating mechanism to a support structure; a hose coupling adapted toconnect a hose to the universal hose locating mechanism, wherein thehose coupling is linked to the universal hose locating mechanism suchthat the hose coupling has unlimited rotational movement about the firstaxis when the hose is coupled to the hose coupling and the first lockingmechanism is in the unlocked position; a second locking mechanism linkedto the hose coupling, the second locking mechanism being movable betweena locked and an unlocked position such that with the hose coupled to thehose coupling and the second locking mechanism in the unlocked position,the hose coupling has unlimited rotational movement about a second axisthat is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, wherein thesecond locking mechanism comprises a second handle assembly and aconnection means for connecting the second locking mechanism to a secondpin; wherein the first locking mechanism is in the unlocked positionwhen the first handle assembly is substantially parallel to the firstpin, and the locked position when the first handle assembly is rotatedto lie substantially perpendicular to the first pin, and wherein thesecond locking mechanism is in the unlocked positions when the secondhandle assembly is substantially parallel to the second pin, and thelocked position when the second handle assembly is rotated to liesubstantially perpendicular to the second pin; wherein the securingmeans comprises a female member suitable for receiving the second pintherein and a portable independent frame configured to be linked to thefemale member.